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List Acquisition

To be successful, your communications depend not only on saying the right things, but saying them to the right people. The right pitch needs to get in the hands of those interested in it and in a position to act. That's why a good mailing list is a critical component of a successful direct-mail strategy. Whether you're looking for consumer lists or business lists, we can help you reach your target audience.

Many organizations, in the course of their business, compile lists. Think of magazine and newspaper subscriptions, credit agencies, etc. There are thousands of lists available for rental, i.e. permission to use, typically for one mailing only. Each list has its own supported set of filters (known as "selects" in the list business) to choose a subset of the list. For example:

List: Car and Driver; Select: By Zip Code

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The Secret Sauce: Determination

Choosing the sources to use to build your mailing list is a lot like being a DJ. The DJ has an almost unlimited number of songs to choose from on any given night, and his job to choose the songs that together will give the best experience, based on who he is playing for.

Similarly with direct mail, you have a dizzying array of options. Our list team starts by working with you to define your buyer's profile as tightly as possible. We then rely on a combination of experience, in-depth knowledge of what's available and out-of-the-box thinking to provide you with a recommendation.

A poor choice of lists can have a double-cost effect. The obvious cost is wasted postage and production. Less obvious is the lost potential of those wasted pieces and the sales they could have given you if sent to a better fit.

What differentiates us vs. our competitors is our determination to understand your business and to use that knowledge to deliver better response response rates. Don't take our word for it: Here's what a few of our customers had to say, and it is indicative of the feedback we often receive:

Ad agency in a nearby city:
"We have never had such an accurate list with results this good."

Owner of multiple automobile dealerships:
"Compared to my past experiences elsewhere, you took the time to understand my business and tightly define my intended audience. The lists you recommended were genius and the results showed it. I finally have a great direct mail partner."

These testimonials are an example of what you will experience.

Of course, this is just a small sample of what's possible. Contact your Willow Printing Group representative for more information and recommendations.

BUSINESS LISTS

Business options include:

  • location, e.g. state, metropolitan area, city, county, zip codes, area codes, distance from starting point
  • type of business
  • yellow pages headings
  • major industry groups
  • professional categories (e.g. doctor, lawyer)
  • Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes
  • business size
  • number of employees
  • credit rating
  • annual revenue/sales
  • location type
  • phone and fax numbers
  • key executives/decision makers based on title selects
  • selects based on specific roles (e.g. marketing, finance, etc.)

CONSUMER LISTS

Consumer options include:

  • location, e.g. state, metropolitan area, city, county, zip codes, area codes, distance from starting point
  • number/ages (adults)
  • number/age range (children)
  • household income
  • net worth ranking
  • homeowners/home value
  • number of credit cards
  • renters
  • address
  • phone number
  • one or all contact(s) per address
  • mail order history
  • mail order categories
  • vehicles: number, year, type and model
  • ethnicity guess, based on last name
  • new move-ins and newlyweds

You may combine these for even more targeting, for example, all small businesses with good credit in a specific area.